Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Try to find a new way to start the blog but….. yet again another good sleep and a good day and this is what my overnight stay looks like in daylight!!

Had a lovely breakfast of ham and tomato omelette, toast, tea and read a newspaper…I like morning like this!!

Then it was time for another waterfall about 3 minutes from where I am parked is this

So off I went the trail was easy

and the waterfalls although small and slow were very serene!!

I was taking note of how I walk or hike and i realize that at times i do not always pick up my feet and that i am sure is what happened to me on Saturday.

Back on the Cabot Trail and I must say this route has been very spectacular with great vistas!!!

Soon I was entering the French Arcadian town of

A pretty town where I walked a while

found this great bakery

Propane is hard to find but I did pass a Coop selling it so stopped and filled up and also filled the water tank too.

On the way out of town is this funky yard with lots of these

Of course could not pass this one by

Thinking about the moose from last night I did receive a lovely e mail from my Brother thanking me for naming the Moose after him but he requests that from now on he wants to be known as Malcolm down the middle!!! This is in reference to his golf Tee shots that always go down the middle…….now if you believe that one you are banished from the blog for life!!!

Around 3pm I pulled into the small town of Margaree Forks where there is a hike I want to do tomorrow. At the Visitors centre I also found out there is a ceilidh at 8pm in the Barn…I had read about this so excited to go there later.

I stopped at the little park by the library

did some reading and made supper and had a piece of one of the meat pies I had just bought and it was good….

This is how I keep my perly’s so white!!!

All cleaned up and off to the concert!!

As true to the info I received it was in a Barn!!!

The venue was packed and we were all treated to two hours of wonderful Cape Breton music from 4 fine musicians.

I came back to the library to spend the night…so goodbye August hello September!!

Another great sleep and another great sunny morning…..Lawrence was around the yard and I said my goodbyes and thanked him for his hospitality and on the road by 8am….I was heading to Pleasant Bay on the west coast and the mecca for whale watching!!

Arrived at 9am and this company was the most recommended

there were 2 options the cabin cruiser trip or this one

and with my discount the cost was 35 dollars…

So 8 of us set out and I was sitting next to a nice young couple from New York…..they provided you with rain jackets, life jackets of course and of great interest to me a dry bag for my camera!!!

I snapped these before I put the camera away.

Captain Ron was a good driver and guide and the boat goes fast and rides the waves and I don’t think I needed the gravel that I took before we left……it was rough but a lot of fun but no whales!!!!

Capt.Ron drove us around for nearly three hours over 35 miles but not even a sniff!!!

Back at the office he said he was so sorry he could not remember the last time he had not seen whales and he offered us all a full refund!!! What a difference from the last whale watching trip I took. I enjoyed the morning and I just asked for 20 dollars back and they were happy to give that to me that so I left with a good feeling and enjoyed the ride.

The Cabot Trail is sure a beautiful drive…

but you never know what is around the next corner!!

In the afternoon I went to the base of the Skyline Trail said to be the best in the National Park….the parking lot was jammed full and I thought I don’t need this so I went a couple of miles down the road and parked for a couple of hours and read my book and at 5.30pm went back to the trail head this time only a few cars there.

Disturb them!!!!!!!!!!! I just want to SEE THEM!!!!

The trail was like this

then like this

then like this

I passed a lot of people coming back and then I got out to the head land where there was a board walk…here I met the couple that I had sat next to on the boat this morning and we had a nice chat and off they went back.

I walked right to the end of the boardwalk and it was quite stunning, the views, the tranquillity, the peacefulness….

The road in the distance!!

I sat for a while and just let my mind wonder and thought about my trip so far and how special everyday has been and how lucky I am to be able to do this.

I figured I better start back before it got back and along the trail ahead I was surprised to see the couple I had seen earlier, the girl was waving for me to come….

wait for it

will it finally happen

could it be????

Permit me to introduce Mally THE MOOSE!!!!!!!!!

Yes I know I look like George Clooney…Mally is on the left!!!!!!!

He was just there grazing away not bothering us!!!!!

We were all thrilled and watched for nearly 20 minutes!!!!

So I was a happy boy as I drove away and about 10 minutes later found this great parking spot in a turn off on the ocean top.

So now showered and just had strawberries and yogurt and then some rice pudding and now movie time….

I hope Mally is as happy as me!!!!!!!!!!

PS Mally is the nick name of my handsome and incredible golfing Brother!!!!!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Well as my previous short post told you survived the storm that brought quite strong winds but no rain and I left the campground at 10am I could tell that I was feeling a little energy lacking but that is OK!!!

My first stop was Bay St.Lawrence again another very small community…

I was heading for Meat Cove

and I had a decision to make…

There is a campground there that I have read about and my friend’s Ruth and Kevin were there a couple of months ago and told me the sites were mainly for tents, no services, quite uneven and 25 dollars….so as Ramona was newly washed and with the above facts I decided against taking her on the road so turned around and tried to find somewhere to stay and go visit Meat Cove on Bonita.

After I turned around and drove just a couple of minutes I saw a man at the end of his long driveway doing some work so I stopped and he came to the window and I told him was going to go to Meat Cove but decided against it and he said why don’t you stay in my yard for the night…so I did!!!!

So here I am safe and tucked away and off I went on Bonita to Meat Cove…..the drive was very scenic and it is so easy to pull off and explore the tiny gravel roads!!

No idea where this cruise ship was going but it was heading north!!

the above is the campground…no one there!!

Great view.

I had lunch on the beach below the campground!!

Somebody went to a lot of work!!

Found this neat church close to Bay St Lawrence

Driving back to Ramona saw this great beach

Me is where I shall be soon!!

Went back to Ramona and realized that right across from where I was parked was a rough track going down to the above beach…so I grabbed my towel and a drink and off I went…what a great beach!!!

Rule Britannia!!!! A free weeks subscription to the blog for the first male reader to spot something else in the photo apart from my towel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There were a few families and little kids enjoying the great beach and I became one of them!!

So i suppose by now you are wondering what the heading for this post meant..what have I not done for years…..catch the surf in the mighty Atlantic Ocean!!!!

The hang five or what ever terms surfers use I am a surfer but a couch surfer!!!!

Cannot believe after the storms of last night and the high winds of this morning that at 3pm I would be swimming and sunbathing till 6pm!!!!!

Came back and showered and ate and had a nice chat with my host Lawrence Capstick. I had to ask him… his name Capstick that is the name on the map and signpost where is the town…he just smiled and told me I was parked right in the middle of town!!!! His house is the town there is absolutely nothing else!!!

Lawrence was so kind offered me to park behind the barn where I could hook up but told him not necessary and we chatted for over an hour and when I got to my moose story he smiled and said there was a huge moose in the yard last week!!!!

So I think I was a littler extra exerted than I realized from the big hike on Saturday and all the cleaning yesterday afternoon so it was good to kick back and relax today. I sure enjoyed the swim and how lucky to find such a great host and know I am safe and well for the night!!